


The Friendly Face of Death

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, And Sara is Queen of the Gods, F/M, Gen, Lily is his Persephone, Ray is Hades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 13:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11899038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: The story of Hades and Persephone retold for Raily





	The Friendly Face of Death

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentMaryMargaretSkitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/gifts), [MissCrazyWriter321](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCrazyWriter321/gifts).



> People seemed to like my headcanons on tumblr, so I wrote the thing.

“Now Lily, remember, don’t wander off-”

“I know, Father.”

“And you must listen to Jefferson-”

“And be back by sunset or else-”

“Yes, yes, I know, Father!” Lily grumbled.

Clarissa laughed at her daughter’s exasperated face and her husband’s tired expression, “Lily dearest, you know your father only wants you to be safe.”

“I know Mother. But I also want to explore. I’m not a little girl anymore. I haven’t been for a long time,” Lily explained for the thousandth time.

“Well you will always be our little girl,” Martin said as he swept his daughter into a hug. As he let go of her, he turned to Jefferson, “I expect you will take good care of her?”

“Sure thing, Grey. You know you can trust me,” Jefferson – who preferred to be called Jax – patted his back. Martin huffed, the grey and white hair made him look distinguished. He chose this form; he could change it any time he wanted.

“Alright Lily, ready to go?” Jax turned to the girl. Lily smiled and nodded as she took his outstretched hand and they made their way out into the world.

\--

“Lily! Lily! Don’t run off too far. I can’t keep up then. I’m only a demigod, remember?” Jax yelled.

Lily continued to laugh as she ran through the forest giggling. She came upon the perfect hiding spot behind the boulders and bushes. She crouched behind the rock and waited, listening to Jax call her name. She pressed her lips together to stop the laughter as he walked by, she waited and he continued on. She laughed to herself. Sweet freedom!

“And what are you doing here?”

Lily froze and got up from her hiding spot, “Amaya, what are you doing here?”

“The forest and the animals are my domain, remember? This is trespassing,” Amaya’s eyes glowed the way they did before she called upon an animal’s aura.

“Stop scaring the poor girl,” Kendra scolded as she landed next to the pair, folding her hawk wings, “I’m sure she was just playing, weren’t you my dear?”

“Yes,” Lily nodded frantically, “Jax and I were just playing a game of hide and seek. That’s all.”

“And does Jax know that?” Kendra asked knowingly. Lily looked away guiltily.

“Lily, you know your father would be worried sick if anything were to happen to you. You are the most precious thing-” Amaya got cut off.

“In all of creation,” Lily finished, “They wanted me so much they sculpted me out of clay and brought me to life. I was never meant to be, and yet here I am. Because my father created me. I know, I know all this. But he’s far too protective. I just want to explore the world. I want to live, and I can’t do that if someone is always hovering over me.”

Kendra and Amaya shared a look, they understood. “Very well,” Amaya said, “You may stay here and continue your games.”

“But be careful. There are unstable areas around here, cracks that lead to the underworld. And you wouldn’t want to get stuck down there. Or else no one will ever find you,” Kendra warned

“Of course,” Lily nodded as she ran off, “Thank you again!” Kendra laughed as Amaya shook her head at the young girl again. She unfolded her wings, grabbed Amaya by the waist – ignoring her shrieks – and took off into the sky.

\--

“Just a little bit further,” Lily struggled. It was nearly sunset and she had to head back soon otherwise her father would be angry, but there was a rabbit stuck in the cavern and Lily had to help the poor thing. She reached further into the narrow space until she could finally untangle the vines trapping the creature. “There you go now, you’re free now. Off you go.” Sure enough, the rabbit hopped away as told. Lily smiled to herself, proud of her good deed for the day. Now she just had to find a way to get out of this place. She attempted to get out the same way she got in, but the opening seemed even narrower than before. Perhaps if she squeezed a little tighter then – ow!!

Lily looked down and found her ankle twisted in a strange way. Getting hurt physically wasn’t impossible for the gods, but it was very, very unlikely. It usually meant there was some form of magic or supernatural activity nearby. Lily always preferred the modern sciences anyways. She gritted her teeth as she put weight on the injured ankle, but it was too painful and she fell down again. As she fell back, she could hear the rocks scattering away from her and the ground shaking below her. Before she knew it, the ground split open and she was tumbling backwards into the great dark abyss below.

“Easy, easy does it. You’re alright now. Come on.” Lily stirred groggily at the man’s voice waking her. There were hands on her head, inspecting her for any further injuries. “Well it was quite the tumble you took there, but I think you’ll be okay. Your head is going to hurt a bit, but I was able to wrap up your ankle. I’m afraid it’ll take a little while to heal. Sorry.”

Lily stared at the brown haired man in front of her, “Thanks. Where am I though? How did I even get hurt? I am a goddess, goddesses don’t get hurt.”

The man chuckled, “Well that would explain how you got here. You’re in the Underworld, you got hurt because your domain is the Upperworld. It explains why you’re not dead though.”

“The Underworld? Oh no, no!” Lily panicked, “I have to go back. My father, Martin, he’ll worry so much if he can’t find me.”

“Sorry, I don’t make the rules,” the man shrugged, “I’m only the ferry driver. Nate by the way.”

“I’m Lily. And I really do need to get back,” she begged him.

Nate nodded, “I’m not sure what all I can do, but Ray can probably help.”

“Ray? As in Raymond? King of the Underworld?” Lily’s eyes widened in terror.

“Yeah, but he’s a nice guy,” Nate promised. Lily didn’t look all that convinced so Nate took her by the hand, “Come on now. We should get going. It’ll take us a while with that ankle of yours. Come on Axel!” A three-headed dog appeared at his side and ran in front of them, barking all the way.

“Axel guards the Underworld,” Lily said remembering her lessons, “I thought he’d be bigger.”

Nate laughed, “Don’t let him hear you. He likes to think he’s tough, and Ray dotes on him completely and lets the little guy think so. He’s plenty ferocious when he wants to be. But mainly cute.” Nate gave her a reassuring smile, so Lily returned it with a weak grin of her own as they meandered further into the Underworld.

\--

“Martin, I’m so, so sorry,” Jax repeated again.

“Yes, I know you are. But my daughter is still missing. We have to find her! It’s dark now, she needs to come home!” Martin said as they searched the forest again, “Are you sure this is the last place you saw her?”

“Yeah. She just ran off. I tried to stop her, I’m so sorry. She was just too fast for me,” Jax looked down.

Clarissa put a hand on his shoulder in comfort, “Of course she did. It’s not your fault. Lily’s always had a bit of a rebellious streak. Gets it from her father, of course. We’ll find her. I’m sure we will.” There was a thump next to them as Kendra and Amaya landed in front of the three of them.

“And who is it that you’re looking for?” Amaya asked.

“My daughter, Lily. She hasn’t come back yet!” Martin told them worriedly.

Amaya and Kendra exchanged a look before Kendra spoke, “You haven’t seen her? At all?”

“No, she ran off when we were playing. And I haven’t found her since,” Jax said ashamed.

“We did see her,” Amaya admitted, “Earlier on in the day. She said she wanted to play so I let her run free in the forest.”

“You let my daughter out without supervision?” Martin asked angrily.

“Don’t forget your place. The forests are my domain,” Amaya threatened, her eyes glowing with warning.

Kendra put a hand to her shoulder to calm her, “We let her go because she is no longer a child. She hasn’t been for decades now. She is plenty old enough to make her own decisions, even if you don’t want your baby girl growing up.”

“Still, can you help us find her?” Clarissa pleaded.

The girls nodded, Kendra speaking, “Of course. I’ll search from the heavens above.”

“And I’ll talk to the animals, see what they’ve heard or seen,” Amaya nodded.

“And what do we do in the mean time?” Martin looked around, eager to find a solution to the problem at hand.

“Perhaps check with Barry? He’s the fastest of all of us. Messenger of the gods, perhaps he can get the word out?” Kendra suggested, “He’ll be where he always is. The Frost Queen’s palace.”

\--

“Ray! Ray, we’ve got a visitor!” Nate yelled as they entered the palace area. Lily looked around; from the outside, she had expected more of a gloomy interior. Filled with all black walls and spiky decorations or something. But it was normal. Well, as normal as an Underworld palace could be. It was still dim, but the King had clearly tried to brighten the place up with fairy lights twinkling in the ceiling. And there was an indoor garden that Axel was currently playing in. It didn’t give off the feeling of despair that Lily had expected, it gave one of welcome and hospitality.

“Alright? I promise you’ll be okay,” the tall, dark haired god was speaking with a young girl, “Your grandmother will show you the way. Now, you only have a few more days to make contact with your parents. I know it will be hard, but take the time to say goodbye and tell them you love them. And know they will always love you too.”

The young girl had tears streaming down her face but they were slowing. The King opened his arms and gave the girl a hug before giving her away to an old woman, her grandmother. It occurred to Lily, that no matter how youthful the little girl looked, this was the Afterlife. Unless you were a god, you were dead. The thought hurt her heart.

The King watched the family leave before turning to Nate and Lily, “Sorry about that. It’s always so much harder with the young ones. I wish we could just return them to the world, let them enjoy their lives. Spare their family the pain of loss. But alas, I only look after the dead, the Fates decide their time. Who’s this?”

Nate pushed Lily forward slightly, “This is Lily. Martin’s daughter.”

“Of course, god of science and technology, I absolutely love all his work. Modern medicine was such a good idea to give the people, less death all around! I’ve been meaning to pick his brain for a while now, but I never seem to find the time. But what are you doing here?”

“She fell through one of the cracks,” Nate crossed his arms.

Ray winced, “Oops. I am so sorry about that. I’ve just, I’ve been trying to do some renovating around here. I thought it was time for some sprucing up. You know, I don’t like the dark gloomy feeling people associate with death, so I figure the more cheerful I can make it, maybe people will be less afraid! But I might have caused a few cracks, and Mick hasn’t been by in a while to help me out. So, it’s really just me down here.” Ray tried to give the young woman an apologetic smile.

“Of course, Your High-”

“No, no,” Ray stopped Lily, “Call me Ray. I don’t like the whole hierarchal system. Only Sara does really. I like being called Ray. Please.”

Lily smiled at him, “Of course, Ray. Well, I happen to think you’re doing a great job with the place. I was expecting much worse, but it’s really quite nice.” It helped that Ray really cared about the people too, that he was a hands on god.

“Really, you think so?” Ray grinned at her.

Lily nodded, “Yes, I like it. A lot.”

“Awesome!” Ray said, “I suppose you’ll want to get back up though, won’t you?”

“She’s hurt,” Nate pointed at her ankle and the slight bruise on her head.

“Oh no,” Ray reached out and gently touched her injury, “Well that’s not good. I’m sorry, but I can’t send you up until you heal. It won’t be long, only a day or so. It takes you a little longer since you’re not from this realm. The same thing would happen to Nate or me if we went to the Upperworld. But don’t worry; I’ll work on getting you home.”

\--

“Caitlin? Caitlin, are you here?” Martin called as he and Jax entered the ice palace.

“It is my home, of course I’m here,” a woman with shockingly white hair and blue lips walked down the glittering staircase, “But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”

Martin sighed, he had known Caitlin when she had been just a human. A sweet woman, wanting to help others, going into the medical profession. But then Leonard had cursed her – gifted in his words – with ice powers and she became the Frost Queen. Some said her heart had frozen and she was incapable of love, but Martin knew it was quite the opposite. She was terrified of someone breaking her heart.

“My daughter, Lily. She’s missing. I need help, please,” Martin begged.

“And why should I help you?” Caitlin asked as she circled the pair.

“Come on. The two of you used to be friends,” Jax argued with her, “Remember that? When you were just a little girl? The gods chose you to-”

“No! The gods chose you,” Caitlin spat at him, “You became a demigod for the sciences. I was cursed. I may have been favored at birth, but it seems the Fates had other plans for me.”

“And have I never done anything for you?” Martin demanded, “Did I not give you Ronnie? Saved him for you, changed him for you?”

“You tried. He was a fool,” Caitlin’s voice broke, “He should have never done that. He should have let me go, found someone else.”

“You can’t change someone’s heart, who they love,” Martin told her. Caitlin looked away.

“Please, it’s Lily. You loved her too once,” Jax tried.

“What do you need?” Caitlin sighed.

“Think you can get Barry for us? Send out a message?”

Caitlin nodded and called out, “Barry!” Within a second in a blur of lightning, the god was before them.

“What’s up?” he asked, his eyes only on Caitlin.

“They need help,” Caitlin waved at them before she walked away.

Barry shook his head at her retreating figure before turning to Martin and Jax, “What did you need?”

“My daughter is missing. We were hoping you could get the word out. Have everyone looking,” Martin pleaded.

“Lily’s missing?” Barry asked worriedly, “Yeah, yeah. Of course I will. She’s good friends with Cait, or she was anyways. Have you talked to Cisco? Asked if he’s seen anything?”

“I’m afraid the Oracle can’t make anything of it,” Martin looked away despairingly.

Barry placed a hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes, “Don’t worry. We’ll find her. See if you can get to Sara and Len. They are the rulers after all.” And with that last piece of advice Barry sped away again to deliver the message.

\--

“So I’ve been going for more of an uplifting feel. I was thinking you know, focus on the community. So game nights, all-you-can-eat-buffets, themed parties – oh no, I’m boring you, aren’t I?” Ray looked at his companion worriedly. He knew Martin would be losing his mind over Lily missing, so he had Nate see if he could get a message to the Upperworld. And he had taken Lily on a personal tour, so he could explain his ideas.

“I am so sorry,” Ray apologized, “I don’t get much company down here. Or get out as often as I’d like. So focusing on the dead is sort of all I can do and-”

“No, no,” Lily grabbed his hand, “It’s great. I mean it! I love hearing about all these ideas, and how passionately you care. I think it’s really sweet.”

Ray smiled at her, “Thanks. You are too.”

Lily looked at the top of the cavern, “If I may make a suggestion, some nuclear fission lights might not be a bad idea. It would simulate the-”

“Sun and really brighten the place up, right?” Ray finished for her, “I’ve thought about that too. Just haven’t gotten the time or the right background to get into it. But it’s on the list for home improvement.”

“Well maybe I could help!” Lily offered, “My father is the god of science and technology. I help him and Mick out in the workshop sometimes. I’m pretty good at it.”

“That would be great,” Ray said, “But it probably won’t be for a while. People don’t visit down here much, and no one really likes to stay.”

“How did you get stuck with this place?” Lily asked timidly, “I mean I’ve heard the stories. There was a big battle between the three of you and-”

“There wasn’t any battle,” Ray laughed, “Sara loves telling that story because it makes her sound so good, but none of that happened. We just talked about it. I’m the oldest, then Rip and then Sara. She’s our baby sister, we look out for her, but she always wanted to spread her wings. I offered to take the Underworld. It’s nobody’s first choice, but it’s not so bad. I don’t get to go up as often as I’d like to visit, but Rip’s domain is always free to come and go as I please.”

“So you chose the Underworld and Sara chose the skies?” Lily confirmed.

“More like it was chosen for her. I think Rip was originally going to take the skies, but he could see how badly Sara wanted it. So he stepped aside and took the seas. And Sara got to rule over everything, it goes to her head sometimes, doesn’t it though?” Ray joked with Lily. Sara was his baby sister, he could do that.

“That’s really kind of you,” Lily said quietly, “Don’t you get lonely down here though?”

Ray looked away but Lily could see the big eyes on his face, the pain in them. He shrugged easily as he answered, “It’s alright. I get why people don’t want to spend much time down here. I really only get a few days in the Upperworld, since it’s not my domain I’m a little weaker there. But Rip’s seas are neutral territory, we’re all allowed there easily.”

“But what about falling in love?” Lily asked. Her whole life she had seen the epic love story of her parents, how deeply devoted they were to each other. How far they were willing to go for the other. Ray seemed like the type to enjoy that kind of romantic saga.

“There was someone, once. Her name was Anna,” Ray started, “She was a mortal. But I really loved her, and she loved me too. So I got permission to make her a demigoddess. Upgrade her mortality a bit.” Lily nodded, she understood the concept. Her father had done the same for Jax. He had tried to do it to Ronnie as well, but it didn’t always go to plan.

“Did it go wrong?” Lily asked.

“No. It went perfectly fine. And we were happy for a while. But then her mother died,” Ray swallowed, “And she didn’t handle it that well. Her mother was moving on to the Afterlife without her. She didn’t want to stay with me anymore, not forever. Not as an immortal. I should have realized, she was meant to be a mortal after all. So I changed her back and let her leave.”

“I’m so sorry, Ray,” Lily took his hand again and squeezed it in comfort.

Ray gave her a small smile, “It’s okay. She’s happy and that’s what matters. But anyways, just me now. But I’ve got Nate and Axel, so it’s not so bad.” Lily looked away not wanting to voice her thoughts, that he must have been lonely. Suddenly a ruckus interrupted them from their walk.

“Oh no, I should go deal with that. New souls, sometimes the transition is a bit rough. I should go help,” Ray looked at her apologetically.

“No, of course,” Lily waved him away, “Go. You’re their god after all, they need you.”

Ray smiled at her and took her hand, leading her to the garden where Axel was playing in, “Here, take a seat and relax. You need to heal and I doubt all that walking helped much. Axel’s pretty good at fetch if you want to throw a stick around. I’ll be back soon and hopefully Nate’s gotten the word out, so you’ll be out soon. Okay?”

Lily nodded at him and Ray smiled before dropping a quick kiss to her hair. When he pulled away Lily could see he was blushing in the dim light. As he muttered something and shuffled away, Lily could still feel the stretch of a smile on her face.

\--

“Sara! Len! You in here?” Jax called as they entered the workshop.

“When you people going to realize that I have actual work to do in here?” Mick growled, “You already have a fancy palace for meeting, go use it! Stop invading my space.”

“Calm down, buddy,” Leonard rolled his eyes at his best friend.

“Yeah, we only came by to visit you,” Sara smiled before looking at Jax and Martin, “How were we supposed to know we’d be summoned.”

She looked more closely at their faces and realized something was very wrong, “What happened?”

“Lily’s missing,” Martin said desperately.

“Oh Martin,” Sara walked over and gave him a hug, “We’re going to find her. Have you talked to Barry-”

“We’ve already got him sending messages to everyone. But no one’s seen her!” Jax said.

“Well if no one’s seen her, then she might not even be in this realm,” Len said.

“You mean, the Underworld?” Martin asked with a hushed voice.

Sara rolled her eyes, “You don’t have to say it like that. Honestly Ray runs the place, it’s probably like a party every day.”

“They got a pretty good all-you-can-eat-buffet,” Mick commented. Jax nodded in appreciation.

“Still, we need to get Lily back. She could be hurt and scared and-”

“Martin, relax,” Sara gave him a hard stare, “We’re going to find her. She’s probably just with Ray. And you know Ray, he’s an adorable puppy. He’ll look after Lily just fine until we get her back. Don’t worry. Come on.”

As the four of them walked away finally leaving Mick in peace, Len commented, “I suppose it would explain why Nate’s been bothering us with all the calls.”

“Seriously, man?” Jax looked at him incredulously.

Sara shrugged, “We just thought he wanted another boat. He’s always calling with weird requests.”

\--

“Lily! Lily, great news!” Ray shouted as he ran back to the garden, “Nate was able to talk to Sara and get a message to your father. So he knows you’re safe and – what did you do?”

“What do you mean?” Lily looked at him confused.

Ray stared at her face, the bruise was gone and her ankle seemed all better now. He looked down and saw a pomegranate in her hands. He took the fruit from her and demanded, “Lily, did you eat this?”

“Not much, only some,” Lily admitted, “You were gone for a while and I got hungry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to steal-”

“No, it’s not the stealing that’s the problem!” Ray panicked, “Lily, you’re not from this realm. This fruit isn’t meant for you.”

“But it made me better! I mean, look!” Lily pointed at her head and ankle, “All better.”

“Yes for now. While you’re in the Underworld. But there is a cost, Lily,” Ray told her quietly, “If you eat or drink anything from the Underworld then you have to stay here. Forever.”

“Oh, oops,” Lily looked away guiltily.

Ray sighed as he took a seat next to her, “It’s not your fault. I should have told you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Ray,” Lily covered his hands with her own, “You’ve been nothing but helpful to me. It won’t be that bad staying here I guess. And I mean-”

“No, don’t be silly, Lily,” Ray dismissed, “I told you I was going to get you out of here and I am. It’ll just be a little harder now, but that’s fine. I mean, we’re gods after all, we should be able to make the rules. Besides, you don’t have to be nice about it, I know you don’t want to stay here. No one ever does.”

“But Ray, I-”

Ray stood up suddenly and turned to look at her, “Don’t worry. I’ll fix this. I just need to go talk to some people. You stay put, and don’t eat or drink anything else, okay?”

Lily nodded sadly, “Okay.” Ray smiled and kissed her hair again before leaving her.

\--

“Rip! Rip! I need to talk to you!” Ray yelled as he entered his brother’s underwater castle. It always felt strange to breathe perfectly fine underwater. Ray looked around and found Gideon, looking at her mirror, “Gideon! Where’s Rip?”

Gideon looked at him serenely, her hair flowing freely with the current, always the calming force in the marriage, “I’m sure he heard you just fine with all your yelling. Give him a few minutes. He’s talking with the sea nymphs.”

Ray nodded even though it was an urgent matter. Instead he paced the floor impatiently. Gideon merely raised an eyebrow at him until he stopped. With a blush he apologized and asked, “What is it that you’re doing?”

“Watching over Jonas. He’s growing up rather quickly. I think Rip is going to tell him who he really is, soon,” Gideon explained.

Ray chose not to comment. Of all the god marriages, Rip and Gideon’s seemed the most complicated to him. Some would say Sara and Len, what with Sara’s dalliances with the many women – though everyone knew her favourite was Nyssa, Queen of the Amazons – and Len’s penchant for minor thievery. Or they would say Oliver and Felicity, with Oliver falling in love with multiple mortal women every other day; there were many who kept telling Felicity to move on, Ray included.

But it was Rip and Gideon who always confused him. Ray knew his brother was as monogamous as he was; Rip was the one that fought for Ray’s right to be with Anna. He was the one to understand how strongly Ray felt love. So it was quite the scandal when it turned out Rip had a child with a mortal woman. What shocked Ray even more was that Rip seemed to actually enjoy the woman’s company – and Gideon didn’t seem to care one bit. Instead she loved the child, as if it were her own. Sometimes Ray wondered what would have happened if Gideon had stayed a minor river nymph and not captured the Sea God’s heart. Life would have been easier.

“Ray, what are you doing here?” Rip greeted as he kissed his wife and turned to his brother.

“I have a problem. A really big problem!” Ray yelled.

“Well perhaps if you started from the beginning?” Rip asked wryly. Ray was the oldest and yet half the time Rip felt he had to be the mature one all the time.

“Martin’s daughter, Lily? She fell into the Underworld.”

“Yes, I heard Sara talking about that. What’s the problem?”

“She ate the pomegranate seeds,” Ray said meekly.

“Oh Ray,” Rip looked at him sharply. Ray was suddenly reminded for as calm as his brother was on the surface, he always had a storm raging inside of him.

“I know. I know. It’s really bad,” Ray calmed, “But it’s not like I want her to be there. She’ll end up hating it, and I don’t want that. We need to find some way for her to get back to the Upperworld.”

“I’m sure Sara would be more than willing,” Rip started, “But you know there will be consequences.”

“I know. But I’ll bear them, she’s innocent in all this. It’s my fault, I should have warned her,” Ray looked ashamed.

“She’s hardly a child. And even if she were, everyone ought to know the rules about eating Underworld fruits by now,” Rip said, “Now come on. Bring your girl. We’ll go see Sara now.”

\--

Sara probably had the nicest palace in the sky. The kind that the humans imagined when they thought of the gods. With the spiraling towers, strong columns, large throne room. It was all Sara – and Len. It was where the gods would go to settle their squabbles. Where all the lavish feasts and parties were held – though Ray didn’t have much of a chance to ever go. And currently it was where the fate of Lily would be decided.

“So you ate the pomegranate seeds?” Sara asked for confirmation. Lily nodded in her parents’ arms, Jax beside them.

“Technically speaking,” Ray corrected, “She only ate like half of them. I counted, there were twelve seeds and she ate six.” Rip nodded next to his brother, there for moral support.

“But she still consumed a fruit of the Underworld,” Leonard snapped as he stood next to Sara’s throne, “The rules are clear.”

“But surely, an exception can be made,” Martin pleaded.

“Len is right. The rules are clear,” Sara silenced Ray’s argument with a look, “It’s not for nothing. We are beings of the Upperworld, we get our strength from what grows here. Ray is a being from the Underworld, he gets his strength from there. If Lily were to come back, she’s never going to be as strong as she used to be. She will be vulnerable.”

“She’s lived her whole life in the Upperworld,” Rip said, “To adjust to the Underworld, that’s not going to be easy just because of a single pomegranate. She would be vulnerable there too.”

“That is also true,” Sara agreed.

“So she’ll go back. To where she belongs,” Ray nodded, somewhat sad to see his friend go. But it was for the best. Nobody liked to stay in the Underworld anyways.

Sara looked at the young woman’s face and then at her brother’s. The brother who had been spurned before in love, left heartbroken. What she wouldn’t do to take away that pain. And to give this woman a taste of freedom.

“She would be vulnerable in both places,” Sara repeated, “So she shall live in both places.”

“What? That’s preposterous!” Martin roared.

“Sara! Please don’t!” Clarissa begged.

“There’s no need to-” Ray tried.

“Silence!” Sara raised her hand and a clap of thunder resounded in the room, “I am Queen. I make the decisions. And I decide that she will live in both places. Ray may not care, but the fact still stands that Lily stole. We are gods, we are territorial. If Len is punished every time he steals something, then Lily will be too.”

“That’s fair,” Lily spoke up at last. Her parents opened their mouths to argue and Ray was shaking his head. Lily stopped them all, “Mother, Father, please. I am a grown woman. I made a choice, I must live with the consequences. That is how you raised me. Please trust that I will be okay. You have to let me go someday, please.”

“Oh our baby,” Martin cooed with tears in his eyes. He and Clarissa wrapped their arms around their daughter, holding her tight. “Alright,” Martin let out in a shaky voice, “Alright. If that is what you want.”

“Very well then,” Sara continued, “You said she ate six of twelve seeds? Then you will spend six months in the Underworld with Ray and six months in the Upperworld with your parents. Your stay with Ray starts now. That is my ruling. Now leave!”

Rip rolled his eyes at the dramatics and was the first to leave. Ray waited until Lily finished her tearful goodbyes with her parents and Jax before reaching out a hand for hers, then they too disappeared to the worlds below. Lastly, Jax and the now child-lost parents slowly left as well.

“You know you could have let her stay up here anyways,” Len said.

“Are you arguing with the ruling of your Queen?” Sara demanded.

“Never,” Len responded sweetly as he kissed his wife.

“It’s what’s best for all of them. Lily wants to be free and Ray needs somebody. Besides,” Sara smirked, “Lily knew exactly what she was doing when she ate that pomegranate. I’m the one who told her the stories of the Underworld when she was younger. Sort of wanted to freak her out about Ray, clearly it didn’t work.”

\--

“And you can sleep here,” Ray finished the tour and showed Lily her new bedroom. He waited as Lily circled the room, observing everything. He fidgeted nervously, “I know it’s not much or that good. But you don’t have to spend much time in here, you can go where ever you like! And you can decorate it however you want or-”

“Ray!” Lily laughed, “Stop, I love it. I might decorate it a little, but it’s wonderful. Thank you.”

“Yeah? Great. Okay,” Ray smiled at her, “Obviously it’s not like you’re my prisoner or anything. You can go and visit your parents whenever you want during your six months here. For as long as you want.”

“Does that mean I can visit you during my six months up there?” Lily asked shyly.

“If you’d like,” Ray answered quietly, “But you don’t have to feel obligated. I know this is no one’s first choice to stay and-”

“I never said that. I like it down here. Besides, I like being with you,” Lily looked at him and blushed. Then she continued, “Anyways, maybe now I can help you out on some of those science projects. All the home improvement stuff?”

“Yeah, that’d be cool,” Ray agreed, “I could have Mick build you a lab or workshop or something down here if you want. Anything you want or need, just ask. I want you to be happy down here.”

“I’m very happy here, Ray,” Lily came up to him and took his hands, “I’m happy being with you.”

“Yeah, but that’s not going to last forever,” Ray said.

“Says who?” Lily asked, “What makes you think I would have been happy up there forever? I’ve lived my whole life sheltered by my parents. I’m hardly as young as I may look. I’ve hardly ever gotten to do anything I really wanted. Coming down here, it was the first real decision I got to make and-”

“Wait, decision?” Ray looked at her wide-eyed.

“I mean,” Lily tried to backtrack but realized it was too late, “Yes. Decision. I want to be here, Ray. With you. Where I can be independent. And have a good friend too?”

“Yeah,” Ray nodded, “But-”

“Unless, do you not want me here?” Lily asked fearfully.

“I do,” Ray said quietly but with force, “I’m just worried.”

“Don’t be,” Lily assured, “This is something we both want. I’m free to do as I please and you’ve got me now. You’re not alone anymore. I promise.”

Lily wrapped her arms around him tightly. Ray returned the hug, letting his heart lighten with hope that he might actually have finally found someone again. He held her tightly and kissed her hair as he answered, “Yeah. Neither of us are.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like I can tell the stories of the other couples in this AU.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Leave kudos/review if you liked/hated/question it/whatever?


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